Marla's Blog

God and Goddess of Third Book in Soul Eclipse Triology

2008-04-25T08:39:00.000-04:00

Dear Readers,

For the longest time I 've struggled to decide which god and goddess to use for the third and last book of the Soul Eclipse Triology. I had initially decided upon Durga and Brahma but the similiarity between Durga and Kalika (the heroine of the 2nd book) was too close and that would have adversely affected the circular nature of the series.

After much study, I've decided upon Saraswati and Brahma. A little history might be helpful for understanding my reasoning. The consorts represent the beginning, middle, and end of all things. Kalika, being an incarnation of Durga, wouldn't have allowed the fullness of this trinity to be explored. Saraswati did.

Notice that these books are also not in order of beginning, middle, and end, and this was deliberate. The goddesses resurrected in an arbitrary fashion and this allowed for a much more free-flowing storyline.

Book Three: Saraswati and Brahma are the deities of creation, language, music and creativity. Life and newness come through them.
Book One: Lakshmi and Vishnu are the deities of sustenance/resources and maintenance of the universe and life. They are the reason that nature survives and protects its own.
Book Two: Kalika and Shiva are the deities of destruction and death as a result of the ravaging effects of time. They destroy illusions and self-deceptions, the ego and its self-deceits.

For those interested in my progress, I'm a little over half done with Book Two, and am on schedule to finish it in May.

Romance Recommendations

2008-04-25T08:33:00.000-04:00

Dear Readers:

This is just a quickie note. I've recently encountered some authors for the first time that I quite enjoyed and wanted to share their names with you:

Gaelen Foley
Caroline Linden
Laura Lee Guhrke
Adele Ashworth
Shana Galen

Enjoy reading.

Kalika in Hinduism

2008-04-09T14:05:00.000-04:00

Dear Readers,

Kalika - more commonly known as Kali in modern Hinduism - is filled with symbolism, from the chain of skulls she wears around her neck, to the severed arms she wears as a girdle, to the blackness of her skin, and her long, red, protruding tongue. Taking this goddess and turning her into a heroine initially seemed a monumental task, but as I've studied her, my attitude has changed. Because she represents both time and reality, the worshipper's attitude determines if she is considered ugly or beautiful. For many, the passage of time is terrifying, as is the stripping away of self-delusions. For those afraid of the destructiveness of time and genuine introspection, Kali is ugly. For others, who see the birth and death cycle as beautiful, who aren't afraid to see the world honestly, Kali is beautiful.

And so, as I've been writing this novel, I've begun to understand how Kalika can be both horrifying and comforting and those are the attributes and dynamics that I've tried to instill in her character as she comes to remember who she is.

I hope readers will come to love Kalika as I have as she struggles to overcome the delusions that have hidden her from her nemesis and put all of creation into jeopardy. Her journey, in many ways, reflects are own.

This and That

2008-04-03T14:00:00.000-04:00

Dear Readers,

Things have slowed down a bit on Kalika Rising but I have completed half the first draft. Though I hope it won't sidetrack me for more than a few days, I'm currently writing out the first chapter of a drama about the Indiana State Prison South in the 1800s that is in the vein of Moll Flanders. I've been collecting historical facts about the time and events I want to novelize -- it's pretty horrific all on its own. When I have more info, I'll let you know.

Other than that, it's been a long dreadful haul with a sick hubby. First flu, then bronchitis, then asthma and now it appears it has become pneumonia (or it has been that all along and he's been misdiagnosed). In any case, after three weeks, he is still sick and it's hard to focus too much with the worries of a sick hubby on my mind.

We went to NM for my nephew's wedding to his long-time girlfriend. The weather was rainy on the way out, but tolerable the rest of the trip. We couldn't stay long since we didn't have the funds or time for more than a couple days there (6 days of the trip were spent on traveling to and fro).

Take care everyone.

Taking a Step Towards Relaxation

2008-02-25T13:13:00.000-05:00

Dear Readers,

It seems that I've decided to acknowledge a well-known tendency within myself that is due for some ... work, shall we say. I have always been intense. Whatever I do, I give myself to it wholeheartedly. This exhibits itself in obsessive behaviors. In and of itself, that isn't such a bad thing. After all, it's due to that attribute that I'm able to write novels, stay devoted to my husband and family, and stay interesting.

That said, I've also come to realize that my intensity lends itself to stress, even in the midst of doing something that should be innately relaxing, like reading books. As I've noted in earlier blogs, I had given up leisure reading for 10-12 years while homeschooling my children and being a stay-at-home mom. A couple years after sending my children off to public school and returning to work PT, my husband insisted I read "The DiVinci Code." I loved it. Afterwards, my daughter encouraged me to read the Harry Potter books, and I thoroughly enjoyed those as well. I particularly appreciated her writing style. About a year later (around last Oct, I think), I was back into reading fiction and what a transition it has been. I've been reading dozens of books each week.

Sounds like it should have been relaxing, but no. Not for me. Somehow I've made reading stressful. I enjoy it, yes. But stressful nonetheless. The same is true with my writing. I LOVE my stories (talking about the gods is one of my favorite hobbies), but I force myself to write even when I'm not in the mood. That isn't necessarily bad, but it's not good either. It's stressful. Same is true with weight-loss. I can't just enjoy the process of revising my eating and exercise habits, I have to obliverate them. Again, stressing myself over it. Stress, by the way, is one of the causes for weight gain.

So I've come to a solemn recognition. It's time to lighten up.

Now, the question becomes, how?

Progress on Kalika Rising

2008-02-21T13:55:00.000-05:00

Dear Readers,

I am more than thrilled with the progress I've been making on the 2nd Soul Eclipse novel, "Kalika Rising." Though it comes in spurts, the story works off of the actual mythology of the goddess Kali. Both horrible and beautiful, she is a challenge to create. The reader will be faced with her most vicious side ... and her most damaged. In some ways, I liken her to the Lady MacBeth who washes her hands repeatedly, stating, "out damn spot," to remove the blood staining her conscience.

By contrast, Shiva has been developing into an unexpectedly sympathetic character who is repeatedly drawn into this never-ending war with Kalika by his utter belief in her completely amoral nature. A belief that she nightly reaffirms with her belligerance.

I've already completed nearly 60 pages and hope to have the 1st draft finished by the end of March, but I'll not lay odds on it.

10 Kudos About Romance Novels

2008-02-11T08:21:00.000-05:00

Dear Readers,

This isn't as easy as the 10 Gripes, but I'm going to give it a shot. Here are the 10 (or so) things that I enjoy reading in romance novels.

Character development. The very best romances are those that show (without overdoing it) how a character is growing as a person or overcoming an obstacle in his/her life.
Humor. One of the best examples of lighthearted, breezy fun romance was by an author that I don't otherwise enjoy (Lisa Cach). She wrote "George and the Virgin." I've never laughed so much in a book in my life. Although I have read and enjoyed some of the darker romances, I most consistently return to authors that know how to use humor effectively throughout their books. BTW, Katie MacAlister ("Noble Intentions") is every bit as funny.
Relationship development. This is a tough one to do correctly and often becomes one of my biggest gripes as opposed to one of the factors I most enjoy. I hate histrionics and too often authors use histrionic thinking with their heroines. But when they use rational thinking processes and show a more natural relationship development, I can be extremely touched by it. (Good ex: Catherine Anderson's "Coulter Series").
Lively dialogue. Oh, how I wish I could see more of this. But I have to say, I recently came across a book by one of my favorite authors that exemplified this to a "T." There was no huge plot, but the story revolved around a week-long wedding and two of the guests there. The witty dialogue between these two characters had me rolling on the floor. There was no "he loves me, he loves me not" type inner dialogue (which is extremely tedious in most romances), but a steadily progressing relationship while the wedding party around them is going to h*ll. A must read for those wanting a more grounded romance that is extremely fun (Kasey Michael's book "Everything's coming up Rosie.").
Common folk. Unfortunately, most romance writers seem to think that romance was limited to England amongst the nobles. But when they veer off this overworked venue and dare to create romance amongst the common folk, oh, how I enjoy the story. Unfortunately, not satisfied with mere mortals, these authors typically take guttersnipes that have somehow become incredibly weathy (Example: Bow Street Runner's series by Lisa Kleypas - very good series, BTW). Once in a blue moon I might come across average folk with average incomes having a romance, but it seems most "normal" folk are doomed to romance-less matches -- at least that's how it seems. (This sounds more like a gripe, doesn't it? Whoops.)
Average looking. It does happen. Maybe it's rare, but I have come across books that allow average looking women and average looking men (even rarer) to get together. In the Bedwyn series by Mary Balogh, Freyja is ugly at first glance but she grows on people. And Sydham Butler (in the Simply series) was deformed by torture during a war, and his heroine is a mere school teacher. That particular story ("Simply Love") managed to combine the best of these first six factors into one book.
Where love is distinguished from sex, and sex doesn't make make everything okay. Most romance authors today don't seem to make a distinction between lust and love and in this screwed up world of ours, it seems a real shame. Occasionally, books do make such a distinction. These books I enjoy because the fantasy of "happily ever after" seem more real than those where the hero and heroine are bickering and fighting throughout the book, then they have sex and supposedly all is well. They get married and I'm supposed to buy-into the idea of happily ever after. Sorry, can't do it.
Intelligent, fiesty females. I like strong female leads. Where a woman can be intelligent and strong without being unnecessarily argumentative or combative (Lisa Kleypas does well in this area, also). Unfortunately, that distinction also seems to be lost by many authors. A fiesty female is too often an unpleasant, argumentative one that screams and throws things to be heard. Geesh. That sounds more like a witch than what I consider fiesty.
Average males that are required by circumstances to be or do more than they are. This one, I have to admit, is not one I've come across but I would dearly love to see. Instead of the omnipresent body-builder, wide-shouldered, he-men of most romance novels, I'd like to see a normal man that achieves great things because he is forced by circumstances to do so. That, in my opinion, is what makes a REAL man.
Men that fail. Wow. This one is hard. I read one book (can't remember who wrote it), where the man had become a drunkard after being saddled with his dead brother's nasty lying-through-her teeth ("I'm pregnant") witch of a betrothed. He was at sea most of the time. Found the love of his life, but she wouldn't be his mistress and she wouldn't be his wife (even if it were possible) because he was a "wastrel." So he had to choose between his alcohol and the woman he loved. It was a very powerful story.

Well, that's my list. I know it had a lot more gripes than it should have, but I couldn't seem to get my fingers to cooperate with my intentions.

Oooo, I forgot one (seems that history is about to repeat itself).

11. Where women, forced by circumstances to become the dredges of society (prostitutes, thieves, etc.) are given a second chance in life. I've read several of these and I LOVE these stories. A couple examples include several by Mary Balogh: The Secret Pearl, No Man's Mistress, and a secondary storyline in Slightly Tempted. Julia Justiss' also has one, entitled The Courtesan.

Update on Books

2008-02-07T14:48:00.000-05:00

Dear Readers,

As I indicated on my website, there's been some new developments in my writing. Rather than rehash everything I said at marlavendret.com in "upcoming books," I'd just like to give you the highlights.

First: I've completed the first draft of Lakshmi Rising, the Soul Eclipse series.
Second: I'm currently working on Kalika Rising, the sequel. I hadn't intended to immediately launch into it, it just happened. Immediately. Without any deliberate intent on my part. I don't know, does that sound like being possessed? Hmmm.
Third: I'm having so much fun writing this fantasy trilogy that I'm contemplating a change in plans for the Seven Hills of Rome trilogy. Although I enjoy reading romance, I much prefer to write a novel that simply has some romance in it, as opposed to focusing exclusively on the romance. This said, there's a chance this series may become a fantasy series as well. If not, perhaps a drama.

In the meantime, I am happily clicking away on my laptop. Kalika Rising is unlike any other story I've written thus far, due to the gruesome nature of its war between the forces of Kalika and the forces of her erstwhile husband Shiva. Neither recognizes the other, and their demonic advisors are making sure it stays that way. When Lakshmi and Vishnu (from book one) attempt to intervene, the bloodshed becomes much more personal.

Happy reading.

10 Gripes about Romance Novels

2008-02-05T08:03:00.000-05:00

Dear Readers,

In the same vein as "10 Things I Hate About You," I've listed 10 gripes I have with some romance novels that I sincerely hope I may never be guilty of committing. This list is in no particular order.

Serial authors who use same plot formula in every book
A romance is going beautifully until the heroine/hero sabotages it with really stupid reasoning.
The omnipresent "impossibly tall" heroes with broad shoulders and rock hard builds. (Give me break! Geesh! How many 6 foot body builder-types were around in Scotland and Englands in the 1800's?)
Where the desperate need to hear the words, "I love you," overrides every single act of love. Since when is the pursuit of "words" more important than the "acts" of love? (BTW, this bothers me so much, I'm contemplating writing a romance where those words are never spoken. That'd be quite a challenge, don't you think?)
Drama queens" and/or stupid heroines
Convoluted problems (mostly in one's head) that are deliberately designed to prolong the book but add nothing to the story except irritating the reader
Heroes who are male whores (i.e. sleep with any and every available female)
Multiple and unnecessary sex scenes substituted for anything remotely resembling a plot (I've read -- ended up skimming, actually -- some books where sex scenes take up 1/2 the book!!) And more often than not, these sex scenes could be "cut and pasted" from one to another.
When a sexual response (the quissential "cock twitching" or "warmth pooling") is equated with love or the beginnings of it.
And accompanying #9 is the ridiculous conclusion by the hero/heroine that the object of his/her instanteous lust is substantially "different" (smarter, more common sense, more worthy in some way, despite never having set eyes on that person before) than others because of this sexual response. Geesh. Talk about rationalizing lust ....

Which leads me to another whole set of issues that we'll consider to be a., b., c., etc. (so I can still pretend it's 10 things)

Sex scenes where the woman is thrashing her head back and forth or some other outrageously overdone response to a man touching (just TOUCHING) her breasts. (Okay, I object to head thrashing in any scenario. It makes me want to toss the book in the fireplace.) Or that pinching and biting thing. Hey! That HURTS, why would a woman like that unless she's into a bit of S&M? And if she is, then say so! I wouldn't object to reading it if that's the point!
Not only that (okay, now I'm on a roll), what is it with all these 1200's and 1800's guys having oral sex with their heroines. People barely bathed then (a few times a year!). I get nauseous just thinking of it. The only time I consider it appealing is when this occurs immediately after a bath. Otherwise, it's just plain GROSS!
Then there's the men taking a woman's virginity and she gets dressed, walks around (pretending nothing happened) as though she isn't leaking blood all over the place at that point.

Hmm. Okay. I think I'm done ranting. Now, to make up for it, I'll have to do a followup with "10 Things I Enjoy in Romance Novels."

Working on a Fantasy Novel

2007-12-18T11:25:00.000-05:00

Whew. It's been too long since I've written in this blog. Time gets away from me and then ... well, to be honest, I get totally obsessed with something else. My latest obsession has been reading. Reading tons and tons of books. Lest anyone underestimate me or think I exaggerate, let me say, I've been reading 2-3 books a day for the last couple months or more.

Ah, I should be ashamed. I know. But I can't help it. I went through a long dry spell where I didn't read anything (about 10 years of it, actually), and I feel like I'm making up for lost time. Too bad really. I have this great fantasy novel in my head, and I've little time to write since I'm so busy reading!

Nonetheless, I'm about 150 pages into it. It'll probably be a 300 page book by the time I'm done (or something round about that). I'm having a blast being totally irreverent ... maybe even a teensy eensie bit sacrilegious, but what can I say? That's who I've become!

My fantasy is about the gods ... and I'm not taking the safe route of keeping the storyline to ancient (and thus unoffensive) deities. No. I like living dangerously. I've included the "Father, Son, Holy Ghost, & Mary" deities along with the Hindu gods, the Zorastrian gods, and any other deities I so decide.

So why, you might ask, would I do such a thing? Because I can. So there. (Okay, you're supposed to smile here.)

The storyline combines two mythologies into one: the Babylonian Creation account and the Hindu god(desses).

Shakti was destroyed, her five incarnations scattered across the universe along with her body, and she wants to reunify. Her murderer (Marduk, her son), has no intention of letting her succeed. He claims that her reunification will mean the end of the universe. So now the gods must decide who to trust, if anyone, and Shakti's incarnations (book one deals with Lakshmi) must remember who they are. But some aren't fighting fair.

Intrigued? I hope so. I hope to finish the first draft by the end of January, then set my sites on finishing the 12 Gates sequel. But then, the Sabine women have been haunting my thoughts so I might write one of those next instead. Ah, I don't know sometimes. So many ideas. So little time.

Check back soon!

A Little Bit of Reading

2007-08-13T15:01:00.000-04:00

I write constantly, and have since I was a young girl. It's a great release. The other half of that is reading. Being raised on a farm, there wasn't much entertainment unless you made it, so I spent hours every day reading. I read from almost every genre ... usually in blocks. During my youngest days, I ready mysteries, especially Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys and a Western, here and there. Believe it or not, when I saw the Nancy Drew movie was coming out, I couldn't wait to see it. Unfortunately, my kids didn't have my nostalgia, so I still haven't gotten a chance to watch it.

Later, I turned to horse books, with the Black Stallion series being my favorite. I read anything with a horse in it. I still cherish the memories of those books. I tried collecting the whole black stallion series, but those books weren't made for long-term use and degraded. What little remained of them was destroyed when my children went through similar reading phases and claimed my books.

During junior high I got into science fiction with the likes of Isaac Asimov and others. I spent my TV time with the same: Dr. Who, Star Trek (the original series), the Outer Limits, etc. I loved how they made me think. I still do.

Then came high school and all the emotional upheaval it entails. Feeling sheltered and less than popular, I turned to the lives of others for stimulation in innumerable autobiographies and biographies. If not those, I'd be reading paranormal scholastic books. I loved "Witch of Blackbird Pond," and others like it. Reading helped me escape the tedium of my farm-life.

Towards my junior and senior years, I became a romance fanatic. I couldn't get enough. I read hundreds of them a year, if not more. I'd check out 25 at a time and return them within a week. Eventually, the library ran out of new books to offer and I started scratching around for something else.

In college, I didn't have the time or inclination to read romances ... and that was pretty much how it stayed for the next 20 years. For that matter, I stopped reading for pleasure almost entirely. Maybe I burned out. Maybe the storylines had become to mundane and predictable to be enjoyable. Maybe I was emotionally satisfied and didn't feel I needed it anymore. I don't know. It just happened.

So why do I bring this up? Last week, after more than 20 years without pleasure reading, other than the occasional Harry Potter (and of course, the DiVinci Code), I read four books in four days -- and they were romances at that. I still feel slightly nauseaus when I see a Harlequin or anything of that narcissistic caliber, but I love the paranormal romances where romance is only part of the story and not the whole story. I enjoyed it so much that I've reserved about a dozen more books like it.

It feels good to read again on, many levels. It helps me see new and different ways to express myself. It is much better than most of the crap on TV. It is a "guilty" pleasure ... and I like those (as seen by anyone who has read, "WANTED: Sex Partner for Short-Term Monogamous Relationship"). And it lets me get lost in another world that can't be remotely possible.

With my dry streak ended, I hope to become an even better writer and a much more experimental one.

Anthropological Science Fiction

2007-07-10T08:41:00.000-04:00

Anthropological science fiction. What a name for such a simple concept: science fiction in ancient history. We've seen it multiple times, but the most recent and successful example of it is the StarGate and StarGate Atlantis franchises.

It's not a new concept - most religions have evidences of it. The South American mounds of snakes and spiders that can only be seen the air, biblical stories of flying saucers (Ezekiel's chariot), and suspicious mountaintop experiences (Moses), and stories of the gods that one writer claims are actually stories of the planets. The concepts are there ... but we're so accustomed to interpreting those events in a specific way, we miss alternative and equally valid perspectives. That's where anthropological science fiction comes into play.

It takes historical events, places, and people, and puts another bent on it. For example, the bible says that "in the beginning Gods created the heavens and the earth." Then, in Gen. 6:4 it says that "“During this time (and afterwards) the Neph’lim – children of the gods – fell to the earth. They bred with humans, and bore children: the heroes of old; people of renown.” I admit, this is not the way it is traditionally translated, but then ancient Hebrew texts didn't have vowels, punctuation, capitalization, or spaces in their sentences - and by the time they did start adding vowels, punctuation, capitalization, and spaces, they had to start guessing at what some of the texts actually said. (Let me give you an example: nthbgnnggdcrtdthhvnsndthrth. -- Now, translate that! ) To add to the confusion, it's believed that this section was adapted from much earlier mesopotamian creation myths ... and viola, this translation is a perfect fit.

In any case, this story actually talks about aliens - whether you want to consider them angels, demons, gods, etc., they are still extra-terrestrial beings. Ergo, aliens! These beings came to the earth and bred with humans - as opposed to non-humans. These people were heroes and well-known. (In Greek mythology these would be the half-gods like Hercules.) When we start looking in other ancient texts, we find reference to these aliens teaching humans about herbology and other advanced sciences (which these texts malign as "witchcraft"). And, according to these texts, it is because of this advanced knowledge that God floods the area.

When we take out the superstitions, and insert a creative science fiction mindset, this could reference an advanced technology that created a massive undersea earthquake, and the subsequent tsunami wiped out the whole region. Did that actually happen? Nobody knows. This was pre-history, before people developed writing. So really, everything we know, we know because pseudo-historians, hundred and even thousands of years after the fact, began writing down myths and stories that had been passed down. Since there was nothing to separate fact from fiction, or superstitious from scientific, there is no "for sure," in any of it.

In Twelve Gates From Paradise, I take the above myths and put flesh on them. The Neph'lim, descendents of Nibiru (the lost planet), have taken refuge in our stratopause ... but many are growing restless waiting for their leaders to approve colonizing the planet. Some refuse to wait, and fake glider crashes. Others are stranded on the surface. As mutinous Neph'lim stir up problems aboard the Pavilion, stranded Neph'lim on the surface - worshipped as gods - begin consolidating power.

"When the Gods Came Down" is the first book in this series, that follows the lives of the Neph'lim and the humans that love them. Heroes and villians, romance and murder, mutiny and power fill the pages of a story you're not likely to forget soon.

Saturday Morning

2007-07-07T07:37:00.000-04:00

It's early Saturday morning - one of my favorite times of the week. The house is quiet, excerpt for the chirping finches trying to get me to play with them. I just finished a leisure breakfast of mixed fruit, nuts, and whip cream and I'm working on a glass of soy milk (mmmm).

In the stillness, I can think through my stories and play with fantasies and ideas - where I want to take each character, and what kind of a person I want them to be. It's like being God, in a way, and I think that's one of the reasons writing fiction is so appealing. I can decide everyone's fate. Nothing is left to the whims of chance or the vulgarities of randomness.

As the sun rises, it shines through the glass of my sliding back door and into the house. The sun promises us so much: a new day, a new chance to get things right, a renewed hope, renewed energy .... I love mornings, especially ones that start out so beautifully. It is moments like these that I try to write into my books. Moments when life is good and we feel completely alive inside.

I think I'll go back upstairs and cuddle a while longer with my husband.

Taking Time for the Family

2007-07-06T17:48:00.000-04:00

Writing is a singular business ... in that, for most writers, we need a lot of alone time. A typical book might take 20-30 hours a week for up to 6 months. That includes 2-3 drafts and 1-2 edits before submitting to the publisher. Unfortunately, like many creative occupations, writing is a feast and famine life ... (all famine, for me!). It's the love of the craft that keeps many of us writing, long after we've given up hope of ever breaking-even. Therein lies the problem.

We love what we do (at least, I do)... but there are other loves in our lives that are competing for our time and attention. It's hard to stop in the middle of an idea or sentence, but supper needs made, the house needs cleaned, the grass mowed, the shrubs trimmed, etc. Life is short ... too short. With a computer in our lap every spare moment, we unknowingly alienate those who want to talk to us. We look busy -- and they don't want to interupt us. So they go on with their lives while we're inventing worlds of our own.

This is mostly a reminder to me, and others like me, to stop. Take time to love on the ones who smile whenever they see you. Take time to play with your children. Take time to enjoy your spouse. Take time to exercise and meditate. Take time to remember who really matter.

SciFi Channel and the Science Fiction Genre

2007-07-05T13:08:00.000-04:00

I love science fiction -- I mean, I REALLY love science fiction. It can be corny, B-lister, odd, etc. as long as it makes me think about things in a new, different, backwards, or unusual ways. And that's the rub. Many of the new scifi's coming out on TV (i.e. the SciFi Channel) are run-of-the-mill disaster movies that show little imagination, little respect for the viewers' intelligence, and less respect for the actors who work in them. The thing that turns people into scifi fans is the intelligence factor ... and its the one thing that is singularly lacking in most SciFi Channel made-for-TV movies.

Having said that, I need to qualify it. My favorite scifi series of all time was FarScape - a SciFi Channel series. It was witty, intelligent, fun, occasionally erotic, occasionally silly, and just plain entertaining. But notice that witty and intelligent were the first two things I mentioned! Another show I thoroughly enjoyed was running at the same time as FarScape - the Invisible Man. When the invisible man finally got out from under the agencies thumb, the series really could have taken off ... instead they cancelled the series and that was a genuine loss. And more recently, the SciFi Channel thrilled me with Dresden Files - which they still haven't signed on for a second season despite widespread support from SciFi Channel viewers. Ah well, at least I have Blood Ties on LMN to look forward to this Fall Season!

I have watched Hercules, Xena, and all the mythic god/goddess movies - and mostly enjoyed them. Andromeda, StarGate and StarGate Atlantis got old pretty quickly, and had multiple unresolved issues (like, why do all the worlds they visit speak English?). When I'm bored out of my gourd, I'll sit through the SciFi Channel's horrific disaster flicks but afterwards I inevitably feel like I've murdered a million brain cells. Their shows have gotten so bad, I'm settling for lame movies on the Hallmark Channel!

Where is Dr. Who when you need him???? (my second most favorite series of all time!)

New Romantic Drama Released

2007-07-04T13:27:00.000-04:00

It's been a long time coming ... especially since this isn't the book I intended to publish first. My science fiction novel - "Twelve Gates to Paradise: When the Gods Came Down" - has been in the works for nearly three years ... but then I got sidetracked into other projects and viola, "WANTED: Sex Partner for Short-Term Monogamous Relationship" gets finished first.

Many of those who know me were shocked by the title. I'm not a prude, but I am a conservative woman who doesn't get into exhibitionism or the rowdy crowds. The title is provocative, and sometimes I end up mumbling the title under my breath because of embarrassment, but then, I realize why I wrote it and why I chose that title. WANTED represents the culmination of my non-writing knowledgebase.

Like most writers, I have a paying job, and a non-paying job (writing). Both consume about the same amount of work. It was the issues raised in my paying job as an HIV coordinator that stimulated my idea for this romance. I work around a wide variety of people - young, old, gay, straight, bi-, transgender, incarcerated, law-abiding ... you name it - and everyone of them has a story behind the choices they have made. Some of those choices have caused people unimaginable grief in their lives, and sometimes the choices people have NOT made have created just as much regret.

WANTED is meant to be an honest look at what might happen if a woman placed an anonymous ad in the local personal's column. It is a romantic drama, so there's a bit of playful fantasizing in it, but overall, I felt it responsibility looked at the dating scene for older women, some of the hazards (and unexpected pleasures) of dating, and a few of the family issues that might emerge.

This was a joy to write and I hope to write many more romantic dramas about mid-life (being a baby-boomer myself) and the changes that occur along the way.